BTV Ignite supporting "Remote Workers"

The "21st century digital economy" is seeing many changes in how, and where, people live and work. 

One trend on the rise is an increase in the number of "remote workers" -- people who live in one area but work elsewhere in the state, country, or the world.  Tech companies often have distributed teams with developers, designers, and other staff working remotely.  Increasingly, some companies are completely distributed with no central location and all staff working from locations of their choice.     This trend isn't only for tech companies -- many employers in different sectors are much more open to staff working remotely in essential any role.  Digital technology, from Skype to Slack, are facilitating  high performing distributed teams.  

Remote work is a particularly attractive trend for Burlington and Vermont.   Many workers are attracted to our area for the high quality of life.  For those living in rural areas, remote work opens up the global employment marketplace for our high skilled individuals.

Remote work can have challenges, however.  Sometimes, individuals can feel disconnected.  Also, it can be difficult to find valuable local resources, including co-work space, attractive meeting locations, etc.

To help with these challenges and support remote workers more generally, BTV Ignite has created the Burlington Remote Work Meetup Group (https://www.meetup.com/Burlington-Remote-Work-Meetup/).  With almost 100 new members in the first month, this group will let remote workers, and employers and others interested in remote work, meet others in the community, share best practice, and generate ideas to help us better support the remote work community in Vermont.

The meetup group hosts meetings monthly.  Just join the meetup group to see who is involved and stay up to date on future meetings.

CREATING CULTURAL CHEMISTRY BETWEEN BTV & TENNESEE

Burlington Groups Partner to Enable Collaboration Using Next-Generation Remote Music Technology

Burlington, VT – On June 21, as part of an annual international celebration called Make Music Day, musicians in Burlington, VT and Chattanooga, TN will jam using a high-performance videoconferencing technology that enables real-time, simultaneous, live musical collaboration across long distances.

Launched in 1982 in France as the Fête de la Musique, Make Music Day is now held on the same day in more than 750 cities in 120 countries. For the second year in a row, Big Heavy World, in partnership with Burlington Telecom, Fletcher Free Library, Advance Music Center and sponsored by BTV Ignite, will connect with musicians at the Chattanooga Public Library via the LOLA System.

LOLA, is the name for a LOw LAtency Audio Visual Streaming System that has been installed by BTV Ignite at the Fletcher Free Library. Far from “ordinary” videoconferencing, it uses specialized devices to give musicians, separated by great distance, the experience of performing together in the same room. LOLA runs on a special 100 gigabit Ethernet technology called Internet2 and was developed to enable collaborative live performances, master classes, and remote auditions in the performing arts.

“Using Burlington’s high performance networking technology to partner with arts organizations, both locally and in Chattanooga, takes this celebration of music to a new level of possibility. It is our hope that this will be just one of many opportunities for Burlington to collaborate globally.”
– Dennis Moynihan, Executive Director, BTV Ignite

“LOLA is one of the most exciting tools used for Arts & Humanities Initiatives around the country. The partnerships formed with museums, performing arts centers, and libraries are fostering relationships that could not have previously existed. Connecting across great distances offers exposure to new cultures and shared passions. That’s incredibly powerful.” 
– Mary Danko, Director, Fletcher Free Library 

Co-hosted by Dennis Moynihan in VT and Kinnawa Kaitibi in TN, there will be rock and hip-hop collaborations featuring Girls Rock Vermont, Chattanooga Girls Rock, the Vermont hip-hop collective Cultural Chemistry, fronted by Scott Lavalla and Hip-Hop CHA. The June 21st event will take place at Fletcher Free Library from 6-8pm, is free, all ages, and open to the public.

Make Music VT is sponsored in part by BTV Ignite and statewide by The NAMM Foundation. Information about performances around the Vermont can be found at bigheavyworld.com/makemusicvt.

Photo Credit: Cultural Chemistry